1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a connector for connecting electric wires or the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
As a connector for a vehicle, FIGS. 14 and 15 show a connector 100. This connector 100 is assembled by attaching a first connector housing 104 onto a panel 102 as a component of a vehicle body having a hole 107 through which the first connector housing 104 and a second connector housing 103 are inserted in a temporary locking manner (see FIG. 14), then by engaging the second connector housing 103 with the temporarily locked first connector housing 104 (see FIG. 15) (for example, see Patent Document 1).
Further, in the connector 100, after a locking arm 109 formed on the first connector housing 104 is locked on a locking arm receiver S′ formed on the second connector housing 103, the engagement between the first and second connector housings 104, 103 is maintained. The locking arm 109 includes an arm part 191 extended vertically from an outer wall 142 of the first connector housing 104, and extended in an engaging direction Z of the connector 100, and overlapped with an outer wall 134 of the second connector housing 103, and a locking part 192 projected from a tip of the arm part 191 toward the outer wall 134 in a height direction Y perpendicular to the engaging direction Z in the engaging state of the connector 100. Further, the locking arm receiver S′ is a hole extending from a front wall of the outer wall 134 in the height direction Y.
As shown in FIG. 16, when the connector housings 104, 103 are moved closely to each other in the engaging direction Z, the locking part 192 abuts on the outer wall 134, the arm part 191 is bent about a base end E′ thereof, and the locking part 192 is moved over the outer wall 134. When the connector housings 104, 103 are moved further closely to each other, the locking part 192 is received in the locking arm receiver S′, and the locking arm 109 is locked on the locking arm receiver S′.
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Published Patent Application No. 2005-259554
Preferably, a size along the height direction Y of the connector 100, namely, a size in a bending direction of the locking arm 109 is small-sized for being mounted on various vehicles. However, as described above, in the conventional locking arm 109, the locking part 192 projecting from the tip end of the arm part 191 in the height direction Y is received in the locking arm receiver S′ for locking the locking part 192. Therefore, the size along the height direction Y of the connector 100 is composed of a size for receiving a terminal, a size of thickness of the arm part 191, and a size T of a projection of the locking part 192. This results a limit for small-sizing the size in the height direction Y of the connector 100.
Further, as shown in FIG. 16, when the locking part 192 abuts on the outer wall 134, the locking part 192 is about to be moved over the outer wall 134. However, the base end E′ about which the arm part 191 is bent is a distance H′ higher than a first contact position D′ where the locking part 192 firstly abuts on the outer wall 134. Therefore, a force acts on the first contact position D′ of the locking part 192 in a counterclockwise direction shown in an arrow F′, namely, a direction opposite to a moving direction of the locking part 192. Therefore, in reality, even when the connector housings 104, 103 are in the middle of engaging with each other, an operator may feel that the engagement is finished and may stop moving the connector housings 104, 103 close to each other. Therefore, there is a fear that the connector housings 104, 103 are half-engaged with each other.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a connector which can be small-sized by means of reducing a size in a locking arm bending direction, and which allows an operator to surely engage connectors.